J'sia

Starport	A	Excellent: Starship Construction, Overhaul, Refined fuel
Size	7	Medium (11,200 km, 0.70g - 0.94g)
Atmosphere	9	Dense (tainted)
Hydrographics	8	Wet World 80%
Population	8	Moderate (300 million)
Government	A	Charismatic Dictator
Law	5	Moderate Law (no concealable weapons)
Tech Level	C	Average Stellar (robots)

Primary Star

F7 V

Atmosphere

Dense (tainted)

Off-world presence

No

Zoetic individuals

Yes

Source

Reference

Alien Races 4 95-100.

Canon

Yes

Also see

The J'sia of Jesikara (Lishun 0110) are a Minor Non-Human Race and technologically sophisticated sophonts.

Physiology & Environment (Ecology)[edit]

The J'sia have narrow wormlike bodies some 6 to 8 meters long and half a meter thick, terminating in a fearsome circular maw edged with blunt bone ridges that serve as teeth. On either side of the mouth are three recessed nacelles housing large eyes. Also spaced around the mouth are three manipulative tentacles, dextrous enough to serve as hands. These mouth-tentacles are two meters long, and are about twice as strong as a Human’s arm.

A J'sia's skin is smooth and colored mauve or deep purple. On its neck just before the mouth are four gill-slits: J'sia are amphibious and can breathe both air and water with equal facility.

Culture & Society (Ethnology)[edit]

A race of gentle pacifists, the J'sia often get into situations they can't handle, partly due to their tendency to meddle in other races' affairs.

While they are notably cautious -- not liking to make important decisions until they can obtain the maximum possible information -- they are also noted "busybodies", with a tendency to ignore objectivity in favour of supporting a supposed "underdog".

The Hive Federation and the Zhodani Consulate are both favored destinations for J'sia scholars and missionaries, as they arguably have much in common with these societies. Much of the Imperial literature on Zhodani religion has been written by J'sia; the downside is that they sometimes come under suspicion as "Zhodani sympathisers". Within the Imperium, they get on well with the Virushi and the Vargr (this in large part due to the pleasing diversity of Vargr belief systems), and are generally on good terms with Humaniti, political matters aside.

Language[edit]

The J'sia communicate vocally, supplementing speech by using tentacles to gesture. All J'sia languages involve complex, hooting calls mixed with seemingly random booming drumbeats. A conversation sounds like a horn symphony accompanied by a drunken military drummer. As a result, a J'sia language can't be "spoken" by a non-J’sia without a specially programmed translator or a good synthesizer. However, a Human (especially one with musical ability) can learn to understand it. A certain "popping" and "buzzing" quality is also evident in J'sia speech, between the hoots.

Lexicon[edit]

Elyntha: A rite of passage that most young J'sia indulge in when they reach their 20th year, a form of wandering

Jesikara: The name of the J'sia homeworld; it translates as "Life Bearer". Jesi is an approximation of the hooting sound also rendered J'si (in the race name, for example). The drumming Kara is, loosely, "that which bears or supports".

Pha: A word used to denote a place of pseudo-religious significance.

Selected Proper Nouns[edit]

Naming[edit]

J'sia names are summary descriptions of the owner's physical appearance, profession, and current place of residence, and so are subject to change as the name·bearer changes. A J'sia name might translate as Sleek Bellied Long Body with Mottled Triangle Markings Who Seeks To Understand The Nature of Human-Robot Psychology at the Five Mountains Commune. For obvious reasons, J'sia who choose to live or work among Humans are usually compelled by their coworkers to adopt short-form nicknames. Since many J'sia encountered offworld are scientists, these were often prefaced with a scholarly title, e.g., Dr. Sleek Mountain.

History[edit]

The J'sia were first contacted by the Vilani about -5460. They had discovered interplanetary travel by this point and were leisurely observing the universe with space telescopes. They were absorbed peacefully into the Vilani's expanding trade empire. During the Consolidation Wars they largely retreated to their homeworld, but with the Ziru Sirka solidified, they again became active in interstellar society. The J'sia briefly entertained a Terran governor during the Rule of Man. The Long Night brought them some hardship, but J'sia planets retained most of their technology, and by -700 had begun building their own starships and sending out missions, many of them aimed at improving the lot of other worlds. This was the infamous "God Maker" project (see: Pha).

After the Long Night, the J'sia were contacted by the expanding Sylean Federation, becoming first trade partners, then allies. They were among the first non-Human minor races to join the Third Imperium. J'sia remained loyal Imperial citizens ever since, although their pacifism has occasionally led to friction in times of war.

Astrography[edit]

This race is primarily located in the following areas:

Lishun Sector

Homeworld[edit]

The homeworld of this sophont species is:

Jesikara (Lishun 0110)

World Listing: 1105[edit]

Significant communities of this race are known to dwell within the following systems and worlds:

1 of 1 World articles in J'sia

Jesikara •

startbacknext(1 listed)

References & Contributors (Sources)[edit]

This list of sources was used by the Traveller Wiki Editorial Team and individual contributors to compose this article. Copyrighted material is used under license from Far Future Enterprises or by permission of the author. The page history lists all of the contributions.

Steve Jackson, Loren Wiseman. Alien Races 4 (Steve Jackson Games, 2001), 95-100.